SUNDAY: The list of teams interested in Cashner is close to 10, writes Heyman. That includes the previously reported Marlins, who have discussed many of their top prospects – including first baseman Josh Naylor – with the Padres, Heyman hears. The surging Astros are also in the Cashner sweepstakes.

SATURDAY, 11:51am: The Marlins are also still discussing Cashner with the Padres, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.

10:17am: The Giants have also checked in on Cashner, according to FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman (Twitter link), though San Francisco is more focused on adding bullpen help before the deadline. The Dodgers don’t appear to be in the mix for Cashner as they “seem to be aiming even higher” for a rotation upgrade, which Heyman speculates could be Chris Sale or one of the Rays’ starting pitchers. In another Heyman tweet, he writes that the Orioles and Blue Jays are thought to be the leaders for Upton, though the two clubs are also exploring bigger deals that could involve Upton and other Padres changing teams.

8:48am: The Orioles are chasing two high-profile names from the Padres, as they are looking at Melvin Upton and Andrew Cashner in separate trade talks, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link). Reports surfaced yesterday that the O’s and Padres were discussing a swap that would’ve sent Ubaldo Jimenez and a prospect to San Diego for Upton. That deal would be something of a fit of large contracts, whereas for Cashner, Rosenthal notes that San Diego is asking for two prospects.

Interestingly, Baltimore isn’t the only AL East team linked to these two Padres stars, as the Blue Jays have also discussed Upton and Cashner with San Diego, Rosenthal reports (Twitterlinks). The Padres are trying to get the division rivals into a bidding war over Upton, though it isn’t certain if Toronto would have interest in the outfielder if Cashner wasn’t part of the deal. Even the Cashner talks with Toronto may not have much momentum, as Rosenthal notes that the Jays and Padres have differing opinions on Cashner’s value.

As of yesterday, the Padres were telling other teams that they were close to finalizing an Upton trade, which at the time was perceived as a possible negotiating tactic on the Friars’ part. A rival official for a team not interested in Upton observed to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune that the Padres were “trying to get someone else to bite before they are forced to send him to the one club ready to move on him.”

Given Rosenthal’s subsequent tweets, it would seem that Toronto could be the “someone else” in that description while the O’s could be the more eager suitor for Upton’s services. Then again, Upton makes sense as an outfield upgrade on a few different contenders. For instance, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that the Indians have also talked to the Padres about Upton over the last few weeks, though nothing is close on that front.

Of the three teams mentioned, the Orioles would seem to have the clearest need for Upton given their left field void (as both Joey Rickard and Hyun Soo Kim are on the DL), plus Upton could also provide cover in center behind Adam Jones. Jimenez’s contract also helps offset the large amount of money still owed on Upton’s contract, as the outfielder is set to earn $16.45MM in 2017 and roughly $5.31MM remaining this season; Cleveland and Toronto don’t have any Jimenez-esque large salaries that could be dealt to create payroll space.

Cashner, meanwhile, has been linked to several teams in need of rotation help. The O’s don’t have a terribly deep minor league system, and while Cashner wouldn’t necessarily command top-tier prospects in return, it’s still possible Baltimore could be outbid by another suitor (such as the Rangers) who simply have more quality minor leaguers to offer. Cashner fits as a big upgrade for the Orioles’ struggling pitching staff, and he also fits in Toronto given that Aaron Sanchez may yet be moved to the bullpen to control his innings.

Braves righty Julio Teheran exited tonight’s start with what is being described as right lat tightness, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes. Teheran had been throwing well, once again, before the issue arose. We’ve already seen plenty of cold water thrown on the idea that he’ll be traded, and this injury — even if it’s minor — could help seal the deal (or, rather, the lack thereof).

Here are some more notes as the trade market continues to take shape:

It has largely been taken for granted that the Reds will trade Jay Bruce this summer. But ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets that some rival executives are finding it difficult to gain any traction in talks with the Cincinnati front office. Others, though, still see a deal as likely.

Some of the same teams pursuing Bruce are in on Athletics outfielder Josh Reddick, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi notes on Twitter. That’s not surprising — both are left-handed-hitting corner outfielders, albeit rather different ones — and it’s certainly possible to imagine the interplay between their respective markets having an impact on how trade talks progress. The Cubs, Dodgers, and Indians all have some level of interest in both players, per the report.

As for the Athletics and Reddick, there are other teams in the mix, too. Per John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group, the Royals and Giants are also taking a look. Of course, we also heard today (subsequent to Hickey’s report) that Kansas City may instead head in a different direction.

We’ve heard plenty of chatter on Melvin Upton tonight, after Olney suggested earlier today that he could be a fit for the Giants. Whether or not Upton is the target — or, as just noted, Reddick — it seems that San Francisco is once again leaning toward adding another outfielder. Hunter Pence’s return hasn’t been quite as smooth as might’ve been hoped, and the remaining primary mix — Angel Pagan, Denard Span, and Gregor Blanco — hasn’t been terribly productive, though Pagan has had a solid bounceback campaign. On the other hand, both Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson have hit at better than league-average rates when they’ve been up, so the club isn’t exactly hurting for options.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News provides a useful round-up of the Rangers’ efforts to bolster a scuffling rotation. In addition to opening talks with the Rays and White Sox, as has been covered extensively, the team is looking at a variety of other possibilities. Andrew Cashner of the Padres is one player that the Rangers have discussed, as are Mariners lefties James Paxton and Wade Miley. It seems that all variety of options continue to be on the table, as all of the pitchers covered in the report constitute quite different assets. GM Jon Daniels suggests that, while he’d prefer to move quickly toward a deal, the odds are that it’ll come down to the deadline.

As the White Sox weigh what (if any) players to sell, the club won’t have two short-term assets on the shelf. As Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports, both center fielder Austin Jackson and catcher Alex Avila — each of whom was signed to a one-year deal over the winter — are still a ways away from returning from their respective injuries.

Clay Buchholz may be in his final days as a member of the Red Sox, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Teams have inquired with the Red Sox about the struggling right-hander, Bradford reports, and his sparse usage as of late has the pitcher himself pondering his future with the club. “…I feel like the guys they’re rolling out there, I don’t have a spot. I’m the odd man out,” said Buchholz in reference to the rotation. “I’m not sure. I don’t know. Not having pitched in a while I felt like something has be going on.” Manager John Farrell offered a rather frank analysis of the situation when asked by Bradford: “He’s in a tough spot, I’ll be candid. I don’t want to say it’s purgatory, but as far as baseball he’s in a difficult spot. There was the four-day layover over the break. We’ve played very good winning baseball. We’ve gotten starters deeper into ballgames where the bullpen has been rested. That’s where the decisions have come in.” Buchholz’s contract has one more club option at $13.5MM on it, so perhaps an interested party would look to buy low in hopes of revitalizing him over the final two months of the year and making that option look like a reasonable price.

More from the AL East…

Bradford also spoke with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski about the process of making several of the more high-profile trades he made while serving as GM of the Tigers. Dombrowski pulled back the curtain a bit on his acquisitions of Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez and David Price, as well as his trade of Yoenis Cespedes to the Mets last summer. Dombrowski also offered his take on this year’s trade market for starters, noting that it’s rare to see such lofty demand — winning teams are often good because of their starters, which is not the case for several clubs this year — while also seeing such a short supply from clubs that are decided sellers.

Steve Pearce has been the subject of quite a few of the Rays’ trade talks as of late, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). Pearce has been one of the best bargain pickups of the offseason, slashing an outstanding .322/.393/.552 with 10 homers in 206 plate appearances. Because he can play first base, corner outfield or second base, Pearce could help a large number of clubs, and the remaining $1.89MM on his $4.75MM salary is a manageable sum for most clubs. Crasnick lists the Giants and Indians as a pair of possible fits for Tampa Bay’s slugging utilityman.

The Rays are in a powerful position on the trade market, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. With so few options on the market for starting pitching, they’re poised to ask for lofty demands for any of Jake Odorizzi, Matt Moore or even Chris Archer, though the common refrain on Archer is that he won’t be moved. The Dodgers and Rangers are both following the Rays’ starters closely, and Topkin lists the Pirates, Astros, Marlins, Nationals and Red Sox as teams with serious interest. Topkin adds Pearce, right-hander Erasmo Ramirez and left-hander Xavier Cedeno to the list of possible trade options for president of baseball operations Matt Silverman and his staff. Notably, the Marlins were recently tied to left-handed relief help, so they could be interested not only in Tampa Bay’s starters but Cedeno as well.

The Blue Jays scouted both Andrew Cashner and CC Sabathia for their starts last night, per FanRag’s Jon Heyman. While Cashner is an obvious trade candidate that has been monitored by a large number of clubs, Sabathia’s name hasn’t been suggested often due to his significant salary. He’s earning $25MM this year with an identically priced vesting option for the 2017 season that will trigger if he doesn’t finish out the year with a shoulder injury. Heyman suggests that Sabathia may not be available as the Yankees aren’t yet decided on selling off pieces, though I have to imagine that they’d be perfectly willing to part with Sabathia even if they aim to contend, as that 2017 option isn’t especially appealing for a 36-year-old who has struggled over the past four seasons. Sabathia’s 10-and-5 rights are a factor, though, as he’d have to approve any trade. The Jays would also certainly request that the Yankees pay a hefty portion of Sabathia’s salary to green-light any trade. The notion of trading him seems like a bit of a reach to me, though one can’t fault the Blue Jays for performing due diligence.

10:27pm: FOX’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Padres are still expecting Cashner to make his start for the team tomorrow night. One source tells Rosenthal there’s a 99 percent chance that nothing will be completed prior to tomorrow night’s outing.

7:34pm: The Padres are widely expected to move right-hander Andrew Cashner before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, and according to a pair of reports from Jon Morosi of FOX Sports and MLB.com (Twitter link) and Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Cashner may have already made his final start with San Diego. Cashner is slated to pitch for the Friars tomorrow night, but both reporters indicate that there’s a possibility that the righty could be moved before that outing takes place. Morosi cites rival executives that believe San Diego GM A.J. Preller may want to move Cashner before he takes the hill.

Morosi lists the Orioles and Marlins as two teams that have spoken to the Padres about Cashner. The Rangers, too, have been linked to Cashner, and SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets that the talks between the two sides are ongoing but Texas wouldn’t be considered a favorite for him if a deal does indeed come together before tomorrow. The Royals have also been linked to Cashner this summer, though not in the past couple of weeks.

Cashner is coming off his strongest start of the season, which Lin notes may be a factor in the Padres’ urgency to deal him. The 29-year-old Cashner rattled off six innings of one-run ball and held the visiting Giants to four hits and no walks while striking out nine. That strong outing notwithstanding, Cashner is currently toting a disappointing 5.05 ERA. He’s seen his K/9 rate (7.1) and BB/9 rate (3.6) trend in the wrong direction this season and also been significantly more prone to the long ball, as his 1.5 HR/9 rate and 15.7 percent homer-to-flyball ratio are among the worst rates of his career. He’s also been limited to just 67 2/3 innings due to a hamstring strain and a neck strain.

In spite of those red flags, there’s plenty to like about Cashner. He’s a former high draft pick and top prospect that pitched to a combined 3.43 ERA in 483 innings from 2013-15 and is earning a reasonable $7.15MM this year in his final season before free agency. He’s still owed about $2.89MM of that salary through season’s end. Cashner’s velocity is down a bit in 2016, but his average fastball is still sitting at 93.6 mph, and his 47.1 percent ground-ball rate is largely unchanged from the past two seasons.

TODAY: Miami is also interested in Andrew Cashner of the Padres and Michael Pineda of the Yankees, according to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter). While New York is “not ready” to deal Pineda at this time, that presumably isn’t a limiting factor with regard to Cashner.

Both of these righties possess rather different profiles than does Hellickson. Cashner is also a pending free agent, but he arguably comes with a higher ceiling and a lower recent track record. Though he turned in his best start of the year recently, he is still carrying a lackluster 5.05 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 on the year. And Cashner has not only seen his fastball lose a full tick of velocity, but is running up a career-low 6.8% swinging strike rate.

Pineda has been similarly inconsistent, though perhaps there’s greater reason for optimism in his case. Despite a 5.56 earned run average, he’s carrying a robust 10.7 K/9 while issuing only 2.4 free passes per nine innings over his 100 1/3 frames on the year. That’s supported by the deeper peripherals: Pineda’s average heater is sitting at about 94 mph, and he is generating swings and misses on 13.7% of his pitches. Notably, too, Pineda comes with an added year of team control via arbitration.

YESTERDAY: The Marlins’ search for rotation help has spanned many targets over the past month, and MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro adds another name to the list today, tweeting that Miami is interested in division-rival Jeremy Hellickson of the Phillies. Marlins scouts and officials will get an up-close look at Hellickson this week, as he’s slated to pitch against Miami on Wednesday when the Fish are in Philadelphia. Notably, Frisaro adds that he does indeed expect Miami to make “a trade or two” prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver deadline.

Hellickson, 29, is in the midst of his best season since 2012. The 2011 American League Rookie of the Year was brilliant early in his career after graduating from top prospect status, but he posted a 4.86 ERA from 2013-15 with the Rays and D-backs while battling elbow and hamstring injuries. This year, he’s taken the mound 19 times and posted a solid 4.03 ERA in 111 2/3 innings (despite a hitter-friendly home environment) while averaging 7.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 to go along with a 41 percent ground-ball rate. That type of work certainly doesn’t make him a front-line addition to a rotation, but the Marlins have reportedly been seeking a dependable source of innings to round out the back of their rotation as opposed to a top-tier starter to pair with ace Jose Fernandez. In that sense, Hellickson fits the bill.

The trouble for the Marlins, as we’ve noted in the past, is that their farm system is among the worst-regarded in all of baseball, and they already thinned it out by moving well-regarded right-hander — Chris Paddack — to pluck Fernando Rodney from the Padres. The organization’s top prospect entering the season, Tyler Kolek, underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this year as well, though it’s unlikely that the Marlins would’ve been particularly fond of the notion of parting with him in exchange for a two-month rental. That same reluctance would presumably apply to 2015 first-rounder Josh Naylor — the club’s new top-ranked prospect.

None of that is to say that the Marlins can’t work out a trade for Hellickson (or another starter), of course. Even a weak farm system has intriguing names throughout its ranks, and the asking price on Hellickson is unlikely to be exorbitant. He’s earning $7MM in his final season before free agency, and while he’s a candidate for a qualifying offer, the Phils may not be keen on the idea of offering $16MM+ to a player they acquired as a salary dump. Hellickson has exceeded the expectations of most pundits, and the safer play for the Phillies would likely be to cash in on him now rather than face the QO dilemma in October.

The Marlins have also been connected to the likes of Jake Odorizzi, Matt Moore, Rich Hill, Chris Archer and Ervin Santana this summer, and they reportedly expressed interest in Drew Pomeranz and Bud Norris before their respective trades to the Red Sox and Dodgers. At 49-42, they’re six games back from the division-leading Nationals and in a tie with the division-rival Mets for the second NL Wild Card spot.

The Dodgers are open to replacing Yasiel Puig at the deadline, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. That could well mean trading him to facilitate a deal, and it seems Los Angeles is at least weighing the possibility of such a move. As Rosenthal notes, it’s hardly certain that the Dodgers will make a move in the corner outfield, let alone that they’ll part with two more years of control over the talented 25-year-old to do it. That’s likely all the more true given that Puig is finally showing signs of life at the plate.

Here’s more from the National League:

Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr is nearing a major league return, and MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki says that an active roster spot could be cleared via trade. Peter Bourjos seems the most obvious candidate to be moved; indeed, the free agent-to-be cracked MLBTR’s most recent list of the top 25 trade candidates. Philadelphia manager Pete Mackanin says the club is eager to get a look at Altherr, who has been out all year after undergoing wrist surgery this spring.

WithYoenis Cespedes asking to move out of full-time center field duties, the Mets are considering whether Michael Conforto can handle the position, ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin reports. Manager Terry Collins said he was on board with moving Cespedes to the less-demanding, more familiar spot in left. The question is whether Conforto is up to the task given his lack of experience there. It seems, though, that he’ll receive a bit of a trial by fire at the major league level, potentially splitting time with Juan Lagares up the middle.

The Mets have received some promising news on righty Zack Wheeler, with Marc Carig of Newsday reporting that he’s been throwing bullpen sessions of late. That could set Wheeler up for a rehab assignment in relatively short order. New York won’t have much of a chance to assess his progress before the trade deadline, but can at least rest easy knowing that the talented righty is again making forward progress in his return from Tommy John surgery.

Padres outfielder Jon Jay tells Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link) that he anticipates returning to the majors within a “couple” of weeks. Of course, that almost certainly means he won’t be able to make it back in advance of the trade deadline, which was always the expectation when he went down with a fractured forearm. Jay could be moved in August, particularly if San Diego is able to get him through waivers early in the month — thus opening the possibility of getting a solid offer once he has returned to full health. Such a waiver placement could be risky, though, because the club might be forced to let him go, take a meager trade return if he is claimed, or pull him back while losing the chance to deal him later in the month. With just over $6MM in annual salary, Jay isn’t a terribly expensive piece for a team in need of outfield help, so it’s not inconceivable at all that a contender would roll the dice on a claim even before he’s at full health.

Meanwhile, the Padres are drawing stronger interest in Andrew Cashner than his spotty recent track record might suggest, Rosenthal reports in the above-linked piece. The righty did just throw a gem, and still carries a tantalizing arm, so perhaps it isn’t surprising to hear that multiple organizations are interested in a chance at harnessing the evident talent.

12:10pm: Texas would like the Yankees to take on a portion of Miller’s salary in the event of a trade, writes Wilson. Miller is under contract through 2018 at $9MM per year.

11:30am: The Rangers are also in talks with the Padres regarding righty Andrew Cashner, per Sullivan (Twitter link).

11:24am: In addition to Moore, the Rangers and Rays are also discussing Odorizzi and Drew Smyly, but not Chris Archer, tweets TR Sullivan of MLB.com. As for the bullpen, the Rangers are eyeing Yankees relief ace Andrew Miller, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).

9:04am: Looking to upgrade their rotation and bullpen prior to the Aug. 1 trade deadline, the scuffling Rangers are engaged in trade talks with the Rays, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network (Twitterlinks). The clubs have discussed left-handed starter Matt Moore, to whom the Rangers have been connected previously, as well as relievers. Texas was also reportedly interested in Rays right-handed starter Jake Odorizzi as recently as July 5.

While the 54-38 Rangers hold a 4 1/2-game lead in the AL West, they and the second-place Astros have been going in opposite directions lately. Texas has dropped 11 of its last 14, and its rotation is missing righty Colby Lewis and southpaw Derek Holland – both of whom are on the 60-day DL – and has gone without ace Yu Darvish for most of the season. Darvish made his second return of the year Saturday, but the Rangers can’t necessarily count on him to be at full strength.

Even if Darvish and Cole Hamels stay healthy and effective, there are questions about the rest of the Rangers’ starters. A.J. Griffin hasn’t lasted longer than five innings in a start since May 2; Martin Perez has yielded 12 earned runs in 9 2/3 frames over his previous two outings, and his ugly 1.0 K-BB percentage this year ranks second to last among qualified starters; and Kyle Lohse has only made one start in Texas, a five-inning, six-earned run showing on July 9, since signing a minor league deal in May. It’s worth noting that Lohse was woeful as a Brewer last year, logging a 5.85 ERA in 152 1/3 innings.

On paper, Moore would be an upgrade over each of Griffin, Perez and Lohse. Considering the 27-year-old is under control through 2019 via reasonably priced club options, he’d also fit into president and general manager Jon Daniels’ plan to acquire pitching capable of helping the Rangers beyond this season. Moore isn’t without his flaws, though, as the previous Tommy John recipient has recorded somewhat pedestrian numbers this year (4.33 ERA, 7.58 K/9, 2.63 BB/9, 36.9 percent ground-ball rate) through 116 1/3 innings. His velocity is at its highest point since 2013, however, and he’s throwing more strikes and going deeper in games, as FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan wrote earlier this month.

In addition to potentially acquiring Moore, the Rangers would also like to bolster their bullpen, which has both the second-worst ERA (5.03) and K-BB percentage (8.9) in the majors – bettering only the Reds’ dreadful group in each category. Among their innings leaders, Sam Dyson, Jake Diekman (who’s on the DL with a finger laceration), Anthony Barnette, Matt Bush and Alex Claudio have fared well this season. Shawn Tolleson and Cesar Ramos have endured miserable years, on the other hand. Rays right-handed swingman Erasmo Ramirez has come up in trade rumors throughout the season, but he hasn’t performed well and it’s unclear if Texas is interested in him.

Twins GM Terry Ryan says that his organization had “better be open for business, which we are,” as MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger reports. Minnesota seems ready to market its trade chips, though it’s still unclear how the club will approach the deadline. Its best pieces, as we just covered in MLBTR’s top trade candidate series, include righty Ervin Santana, utilityman Eduardo Nunez, and relievers Fernando Abad and Brandon Kintzler. Ryan says he’s willing to consider any type of prospect in its trade discussions, and noted that the organization “wouldn’t be opposed” to paying down some contractual obligations “if you’re getting a good player back and it takes some money to do it.” He did note, however, that the Twins typically don’t hang onto cash when dealing a player.

Here’s more from the American League:

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says that he still has hope that Eduardo Rodriguez can contribute to the team this year, as Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports. That assessment could well have an impact on the team’s approach to the trade deadline. “If people would be looking to say we’re going to be getting someone more talented than Eduardo Rodriguez, it’s not going to happen,” said Dombrowski. “They’re just not out there. They’re not out there and available. Sometimes you’ve got to fix some things internally. We’ll see what happens.”

Hill has returned from the DL to rave reviews for the Athletics, and both Drellich and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle suggest that widespread interest is building in the southpaw. The former cites the Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs, and Tigers as organizations that are taking a look at Hill. And Slusser adds yet more teams to the possible mix, listing the Blue Jays, Royals, and Orioles as possible suitors that have been watching him pitch of late. While Hill’s frequent injuries limit his appeal somewhat, there’s an argument to be made that he’s the best pure rental piece available this summer.

The Royals are known to be on the lookout for starting pitching, having been connected to the likes of Ervin Santana, Rich Hill and Matt Moore in recent weeks. Their needs have been accelerated by the struggles of Chris Young and injury setbacks for Mike Minor and, more recently, Kris Medlen. As Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star writes, Medlen suffered a Grade 1 strain in his throwing shoulder while pitching on a rehab assignment from rotator cuff inflammation at Triple-A Omaha and will be shut down from throwing for at least the next two weeks due to the injury.

With uncertainty permeating their rotation, Kansas City is casting a wide net in looking at trade candidates, writes MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. Among the pitchers they’re considering are right-handers Jeremy Hellickson and Andrew Cashner as well as lefties Hill and Jorge De La Rosa, according to Morosi. Each of those names would constitute a strict rental, as each is a free agent at season’s end, though previous ties to Santana and Moore suggest that the Royals are possibly open to the steeper price (be it financial or in terms of prospect cost) of adding a player controlled beyond the 2016 campaign. Indeed, McDowell’s colleague Rustin Dodd linked Kansas City to multiple Rays starting pitchers just last night. GM Dayton Moore called the rotation an “area of vulnerability” and confirmed that he’s been “evaluating the landscape” of potentially available options, writes the Star’s Vahe Gregorian.

Royals starters currently rank 29th in the Majors in collective innings pitched at 455 2/3, and they’re a mere one-third of an inning ahead of the rebuilding Reds in that woeful distinction. More troublesome than that sum is the fact Royals starters simply haven’t pitched well even when they’re on the mound. The Royals’ excellent bullpen could perhaps cover persistently short starts if the team were regularly receiving quality five-inning outings from its starting staff, but Royals starting pitchers have posted a collective 5.02 ERA that ranks 25th in the Majors this season. The bullpen has helped to stop the bleeding, but the recent loss of Wade Davis has thinned out the relief corps, and even if he’s not on the shelf for long, they’re on pace for a lofty total of 556 2/3 innings from the bullpen this season.

With that in mind, Hellickson strikes me as the most logical target among the names listed by Morosi. He’s made 18 starts this season and, after a patch of struggles in late April/early May, has averaged 6 1/3 innings per start over his past 11 turns (nine of which have been quality starts). He’s been the most durable of the bunch and probably offers the best blend of affordability in terms of salary ($7MM in 2016) and prospect cost. Hill is earning $1MM less but has pitched considerably better when on the mound, so he should be expected to command a larger return than Hellickson in a trade. Cashner, meanwhile, is earning $7.15MM but has been limited to 59 innings by a hamstring strain and a neck strain. And De La Rosa, a former Royal (2006-07), is earning $12MM this season and lost his rotation spot in May before righting the ship and regaining his starting job recently.

For the time being, the Royals are relying on a rotation consisting of Yordano Ventura, Ian Kennedy, Danny Duffy and Edinson Volquez, with either Dillon Gee or Brian Flynn slated to step into Young’s spot on Sunday following Young’s move to the bullpen. While Duffy has been scintillating since returning to the rotation — a trend that continued last night — and Kennedy has given the club 100 solid innings (3.97 ERA), Ventura has struggled since April. Volquez, meanwhile, has been highly inconsistent, yielding four or more runs in half of his 18 starts this season.

The Mets bringing back soon-to-be free agent shortstop Jose Reyes is a “long shot,” a source told Newsday’s David Lennon, who reports that the door isn’t closed on the possibility. As of now, the Mets are in wait-and-see mode with the 33-year-old Reyes, whom the Rockies designated for assignment earlier this week on the heels of a subpar 2015 showing and, more importantly, a 52-game domestic violence suspension. Reyes would bring much-needed speed to a Mets team with the fewest stolen bases in the National League (13), notes Lennon, who adds that he’d come at a cheap price and, unlike other options, wouldn’t require the club to trade prospects. If the Mets do reunite with Reyes, they’d likely put him at second base and move Neil Walker to third to replace the injured David Wright, per Lennon. During his Mets tenure from 2003-11, Reyes hit a terrific .292/.341/.441 in 4,840 plate appearances, racked up 380 steals, made the All-Star team four times and accounted for 30.7 fWAR.

More from Queens and two other NL destinations:

The Mets agreed to trade right-hander Zack Wheeler to the Brewers last summer for Carlos Gomez, but that deal fell through because of concerns over the outfielder’s health. A year later, the Mets have “close to zero interest” in using Wheeler as deadline trade bait, a source informed Lennon. Wheeler could return next month from 2015 Tommy John surgery, and the Mets regard him as either a key down-the-stretch piece in a potential six-man rotation or an option for their bullpen.

Padres ace Tyson Ross threw a bullpen session Saturday, his first since succumbing to right shoulder inflammation in early April, according to Carlos Collazo of MLB.com. Ross remains a long way off from returning to the majors, though, said manager Andy Green. That would seem to decrease the already fading chances of Ross going anywhere prior to the deadline.

One of Ross’ rotation mates, fellow righty Andrew Cashner, has been on the disabled list since June 11 with a strained neck. Cashner still isn’t ready to throw a BP session and will miss longer than the minimum 15 days as a result, tweets AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. Cashner, like Ross, was regarded as a valuable trade chip for the Padres entering the season. However, the 29-year-old Cashner has likely hurt his stock with two DL stints and less-than-stellar production (4.75 ERA, 6.1 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 across 53 innings).

Cubs catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber is “hitting all his range of motion checkpoints exactly on schedule,” president of baseball operations Theo Epstein told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Schwarber, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL and LCL in his left knee on April 7, is currently on track to return for spring training next year. In the meantime, he assisted the Cubs during the amateur draft earlier this month. “’Schwarbs’ sat in the draft room with us while the team was away,” said Epstein. “He’s always looking for ways to contribute to the organization. He added some levity to the room.”